1. Field of the Invention
The present invention involves the field of electronic air purification and, more specifically, a miniature device that generates and circulates ionized and ozonated air around an individual's face.
2. Description of Related Art
Ever since humans first began to live in enclosures instead of outdoors like wild animals, they have been faced with problems of indoor air pollution. At the very least, a building impedes fresh air flow and traps various potentially noxious substances and airborne disease organisms. Originally, a major source of noxious airborne substances was smoke from indoor fires intended to heat the dwelling and cook food. Eventually, chimneys and similar devices were developed to conduct most of the smoke safely to the outdoors.
Over time various other heating and cooling technologies were perfected to further improve the quality of indoor air. It seems that today we have almost come full circle. The outdoor air, at least in most major cities, is saturated with pollutants resulting from automobile exhaust and manufacturing activities. At the same time, escalating energy costs have resulted in "energy efficient" buildings which reduce heating and cooling costs by reducing the amount of outdoor air allowed to enter the building. To make matters worse, many modern materials used in building materials and furniture outgas toxic or irritating vapors. With less outdoor air entering to dilute these outgassed toxins, the building air can become extremely unpleasant or even unhealthful to breath.
There have been a wide variety of attempts to deal with problems of "indoor air pollution" or the "sick building syndrome," as this problem is sometimes called. Specialized air filters have been applied to central air systems in an effort to cleanse the air. Smaller room-sized filtering systems have also been employed. Elaborate heat exchangers have been added to air intakes so that more air can be exchanged with the outside without a great loss of energy. Unfortunately, such solutions are expensive to employ and are often not undertaken until air quality problems become critical.
Ultimately the solution to indoor air pollution lies in improved building designs, improved construction materials, and improved control of outdoor air pollution. But in the meantime, many people are stuck in buildings that have inadequate air quality. Sensitive individuals are especially impacted by poor air quality and may need to employ special devices to ameliorate indoor air quality.
One popular approach has been the use of negative ion or ozone generators. The basis for such devices is relatively simple. Generally, they employ a high voltage electrical source to produce a corona discharge which negatively charges air molecules and particulates suspended in the air. At the same time, some of the oxygen molecules (O.sub.2) in the air are converted into a more reactive compound, ozone (O.sub.3). The negatively charged particulates generally interact with neutral or positively charged surfaces and "precipitate" from the air, thus resulting in a reduction in the number of particulates. Ozone tends to react with various airborne organic molecules, often destroying them or rendering them less toxic. Ozone may also destroy airborne disease organisms. Finally, there is some evidence that negative ions in the air may promote psychological and/or physical well being. Certainly, the clean smell and feel of the air following an electrical storm is at least partly due to the presence of ozone and negative ions.
One problem with many negative ion generating systems is that they are fairly large and require a source of electrical power such as a wall plug. Thus, the units are not portable and, while such a unit may cause a localized region of improved air quality, it does little for a sensitive individual who must frequently move from room to room. In addition, it is somewhat difficult to direct the ionized air. In most systems the ionized air simply diffuses into the room. A few systems contain fans to direct the ionized air, but fans tend to increase the bulk and complexity of the devices. There have also been some efforts to produce "portable" units that can be carried about by an individual, but these "portable" units have actually weighed in the neighborhood of five pounds.